


Yangchuanosaurus in the Undergrowth

by Annariel



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 04:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5613637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephen and Ryan need to lure a large therapod back to an anomaly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yangchuanosaurus in the Undergrowth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goldarrow.livejournal.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=goldarrow.livejournal.com).



> With thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading.

"What are we looking for?" Ryan asked as Stephen crouched over the tracks that led out of the anomaly and into the trees.

"It's large and bipedal; three-pronged feet. If I had to guess, I'd say its a therapod of some kind," Stephen said.

Ryan cursed. Everything he had heard about therapods told him this was bad news.

"We'd better get tracking," Stephen added. "I'd like to catch up with this before it reaches one of the roads.

"If it hasn't already," Ryan muttered darkly.

He glanced around taking stock of their resources. Half the team were away on a separate call out in Luton which left him with Stephen, Blade, Finn and Fiver. 

"Blade, you take charge here. Make sure nothing else gets out of that anomaly. Finn, Fiver back him up. Everyone stay on comms. It's you and me tracking, Hart."

Stephen shot him a slightly mischievous grin. Their relationship was still new. Under other circumstances Ryan would have grinned back, relishing the opportunity for a little time alone together, but he had other considerations.

"You're our best tracker and a decent shot, Hart. Hopefully together we can find this thing."

Stephen's face became serious and he nodded in understanding. He checked over his rifle and then they headed for the treeline on the far side of the meadow where the anomaly sparkled.

"Tell me about therapods," Ryan said as they moved away from the others.

"They're a big group with a lot of variation, herbivores as well as carnivores," Stephen said.

"So this could be a friendly."

"I doubt we'll be that lucky, even if it is a herbivore. Most therapods are carnivores though, so..." Stephen shrugged.

"And big you say."

"And big. I've put the maximum tranquilliser dose in the gun."

"And if it doesn't pierce the skin?"

"Well you're hardly carrying a pea-shooter. I'm not as sentimental as Abby is."

"What about the integrity of the space time continuum?"

"If Connor's right these anomalies have been opening and closing for centuries. I'm guessing the space time continuum is pretty robust."

Ryan nodded to himself. He already knew Stephen well enough to know he could be pretty pragmatic, though he was also fairly sure Stephen would not want the creature harmed unless absolutely necessary.

They fell into silence as the trees closed around them. As Ryan listened, he realised he could definitely hear something up ahead. He caught Stephen's eye and Stephen nodded, indicating he could hear it too.

They were in a slight dip, moving along a path. Stephen suddenly veered off and headed up one of the slopes. Ryan followed him.

"Why'd it come up here, rather than sticking to the path?" He couldn't help whispering when he reached Stephen at the top of the rise.

"It didn't, but the path loops back around. I did some fieldwork here as an undergraduate. I figured we'd take the short cut."

Stephen smiled at him and battered his eyelashes slightly. Ryan had no idea if he did that deliberately or just naturally came over slightly bashful when admitting to knowing something. 

They peered over the top of the rise.

"Something's down there," Ryan said.

The undergrowth was moving and he strained his eyes to pick out the details of the creature.

"It's well camouflaged," Stephen whispered back. "See, its head is there, just behind that ash tree."

"Fucking hell," Ryan breathed as suddenly the thing came into focus.

It was indeed well camouflaged. Green, black and brown splodges along its hide blended seamlessly into the undergrowth. The shape was worryingly familiar though.

"It's a fucking T. rex," Ryan said.

"Different family. It's not quite big enough for a T. rex and the proportions are wrong. I'd guess a Yangchuanosaurus or similar. Connor would know."

"OK, but we needed rocket launchers for those last T. rexes and this doesn't look that much smaller."

Stephen grinned, almost ferally. "Then we'll need to run fast."

"You are fucking kidding me."

"No. Look the hypothesis is that these things have fairly bad eyesight, they track movement mostly. If we tag team it and one person dives into the bushes just as the next one runs, it'll probably keep following the person moving fastest."

Ryan stared at Stephen wondering if mad Cutter was somehow mentally controlling him from afar. "Hypothesis! Probably?"

"We don't have a lot of choice. We need to get it back through the anomaly quickly, preferably before it goes too far and finds a dog walker. Our weapons may well be no use and we want to avoid harming it if possible. We need to lure it back."

"By running really fast and hoping for the best?"

"For what it's worth, from the way its eyes are placed, it can't have good forward vision. We've got the guns as back up if we really need them. We both run pretty fast and that thing doesn't look like it should move any faster than a T. rex. I don't think the idea is as crazy as it sounds."

"T. rexes can get up to forty miles an hour."

"But we know they were mostly slower than that. We've seen it."

Ryan briefly, but silently, cursed all scientists.

"You had better be right," he said eventually.

Ryan looked at the whatever-it-was-osaurus, back to Stephen and then back down the path that led out of the trees and towards the anomaly. He thumbed his mic.

"Blade, do you copy?"

"Yes, boss."

"We'll hopefully be coming out in a couple of minutes with a big and nasty with teeth following us. Keep your distance but be prepared to lay down covering fire to steer it towards the anomaly or to rescue us from becoming dino-chow."

"Roger that, boss."

Ryan looked at Stephen. "You lead it as far as that big oak by the path. Take a dive into the rhododendron on the left. I'll position myself a bit ahead and start running when you duck for cover. Give me a minute to get into place."

Stephen nodded. Ryan took a last look at the big and nasty before hurrying back along the path. He hoped he'd calculated accurately the distances he and Stephen could sprint. Once he was in position, he opened the comms again.

"Everyone ready?"

Both Blade and Stephen answered in the affirmative.

"OK Stephen, in your own time."

He looked down the path. Stephen stood up on top of the small rise and started yelling and waving his arms in the air. Ryan watched as his lover paused for a moment and then began to run at full speed down the path. The branches of the trees behind him began to move and then the creature burst through them and crested the rise. Ryan braced himself ready to start running. Stephen sprinted up the path, but the dinosaur was gaining on him. At the oak tree, Stephen took a dive into the undergrowth. Ryan instantly started running, letting out several loud whoops as he went in order to attract attention. For a couple of seconds his heart clenched with the fear that the thing would continue after Stephen and he willed it to follow him. 

"It's after you, Ryan!" Stephen panted into the headset.

Ryan felt a paradoxical surge of relief (after all there was a fucking great not-quite-a-T.-rex on his tail) and continued running for all he was worth. The tree line was just ahead of him and he blinked as he ran out into the sunshine. He didn't waste time looking for his men but just high-tailed it for the anomaly.

"Fucking hell, boss. You didn't say it was that big and nasty," Blade said over the comms.

Ryan grinned to himself and hoped he still had enough distance on the creature. No one had opened fire and he trusted that if the thing got too close someone would try something. He could hear its heavy footsteps sounding scarily close and rapid, but he didn't dare risk glancing behind him. The anomaly was only a couple of yards away. Ryan threw himself forward into a low roll, slipping underneath the great ball of light. There was a loud roar, possibly of triumph. Ryan rolled up on his feet, bringing his rifle up as he did so. If the worst came to the worst, he would go down fighting. But the thing was disappearing into the anomaly. Moments later Ryan was left, panting and fighting down the adrenaline rush, in an empty meadow.

"You are officially crazy, boss," Fiver said.

Ryan grinned. "It was Hart's idea."

"Then you are both officially crazy."

Ryan scanned the tree line anxiously for Stephen. "Are you there, Hart?"

"Alive and kicking." Stephen walked out of the trees looking slightly rumpled. The look suited him but Ryan resisted the temptation to go over and give him a hug. They were on the clock after all.


End file.
